The US PTO published today a notice of proposed rule making in the Federal Register. The accompanying press release summarizes the changes as:
- Rescinding the stayed 2008 Final Rule.
- Eliminating a number of briefing requirements that ask for information that is readily available in the file history (e.g., statements of the status of claims, status of amendments, grounds of rejection to be reviewed on appeal, the claims appendix, evidence appendix, and related proceedings appendix).
- Providing that only those claim limitations in dispute will need to be identified in the statement of the summary of the claimed subject matter.
- Providing for a simplified examiner’s answer that focuses on addressing the applicant’s arguments rather than repeating the final rejection.
- Providing that any new evidence relied upon in a rejection set forth in an examiner’s answer shall be designated as a new ground of rejection.
Written comments should be sent via e-mail to BPAI.Rules@uspto.gov.
I found the following table, embedded in the Federal Register notice, to be very interesting:
via Press Release, 10-56.
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